The Finger Lakes are sprinkled throughout central New York and aquatic species are an inherent part of our ecosystem even though we don’t live next to the ocean. Ithaca is at the tip of Cayuga Lake, one of the larger Fingerlakes. Cayuga Lake is full of wonder and mystery at first glance, especially since the…
Tag: local resources
Preservation of Voices, Culture, and Land
With population growth, there is greater need for basic resources. Energy is a basic resource that is a part of our everyday lives. In Los Angeles, I experienced a few black outs, but electricity returned within 3 hours. In Davis California, I experienced one and remember using a flashlight so that I could do my…
Giving Value to our Sustenance
We nourish our bodies everyday by providing it with adequate food and water. But is our use really adequate, or is it over-adequate? A first world issue may not be a lack of food or water, but a lack of “good” food or lack of something other than water. Statements like “I have nothing to…
Grazing Across Lands and Among Species!
I am in great anticipation for the Ithaca Spring and Summer. The Fall was so beautiful and my first Winter in the east coast was not as bad as I expected. I was very excited to see a pair of Canadian geese grazing this afternoon. I was so excited, it reminded me of a visit…
Loving Alpacas while Gaining Ecological Knowledge
I was very excited to visit the Alpaca Cass Farm in Davis CA. It will be interesting to compare the information I learned here with information I will learn from a visit to an Alpaca farm in NY in a few weeks. When I first entered their area, the Guard Llama, shown in the photo…
Parallels in Ecosystems
In a recent visit to California, I was very excited to see the Spring. In a previous post about Beebe lake in Ithaca, I noted that there is a harmony in nature, specifically through the photograph of the 2 geese in the center of the photograph. Observing the geese travel in pairs was heart warming…
Transience and Beauty of Beebe Lake
I walked around Beebe lake on a very windy day. Earlier in the day it was 28 degrees and I got snowed on, by the time I got to Beebe lake, it was nice and sunny, but still cold. I typically see the waterfall when I cross the footbridge. This is a great natural landmark…
Towers!
I recently found an article about the “world’s largest and most expensive family home.” The home is worth $1 billion and is 568 feet tall with 27 floors, several high speed elevators, and a garage that can house over 100 cars. The home is called “Antilia” and belongs to the Ambani family, the richest family…
Sheep Farm!
I visited the Cornell sheep farm in Dryden NY on the Shearing School weekend March 2-3. Several local farmers came out to learn techniques about shearing sheep. The class was taught by one of the top shearers in the US, world renown Doug Rathke who obtained training from New Zealand Wool. Surrounding the farm, there…
Bridging Branches with Crochet
When I look up, I see branches that fill the sky and see changes in the background of the branches. It is amazing to imagine that everyday we are exposed to these changes. Even as I stand watching the branches, blue sky, and clouds, I see nuanced changes as the wind causes the clouds to…
Snow as a “background”
Since this my first Winter in Ithaca and the first time I am seeing snow, I am trying to appreciate as many aspects as I can. I remember two years ago in Davis CA, everyone was super excited because there was a chance of snow in Sacramento and maybe Davis. Everyone’s hopes were down because…
Aesthetics and Appreciation on Buffalo St.
Another Buffalo St. image on the weekend of the winter storm captivated my attention. An image of a feathery looking plant with patches of white snow. I appreciated this image because the bottom half appears like it is struggling to survive, but the top half with the “feathers” look playful and charming. It seemed like…
Inspired by nature in the town
I was walking down Buffalo St. on Sunday. The snow was melting and it was very wet and slushy outside. I looked up and saw how beautiful the leafless trees looked with the snow propped on top of them. The hues of browns, greens, and grays was really inspirational and led me to create this…
Knitting local!
I created my first hand-knitted seamless sweater as another approach to zero-waste fashion design! I learned how to knit when I was 18 from a book, how to do purl, stockinette, and ribbing stitches while I was at UC Davis, but I only knew how to do simple scarves. I considered myself a beginner knitter…
Local discoveries for sustainable fashion design
In conducting preliminary research for my Masters thesis in Apparel Design, I was excited to find that there are several local fiber farms in Tompkins county. I found farms in Ithaca, Groton, and Prattsburg NY that produce yarns from the soft, fluffy hairs of sheep, goats, and alpaca (ie “exotic” animals). Learning about these local…
HELEN TREJO 